Steamer Devices and Methods

ABSTRACT

A steamer of the present disclosure has a frame with a vertical beam having a channel in a front face of the beam and a steaming device coupled to the channel and configured to go up and down emitting steam directed at a garment.

BACKGROUND

Clothes steamers dewrinkle clothes by turning regular tap water intosteam. The hot steam is blown onto the wrinkled clothes loosening thebonds between the polymer molecules in the fabric. Steamingsignificantly reduces the appearance of wrinkles in clothes.

A garment steamer comprises a water tank, a long metal rod, and aheating element. It also includes a rubber hose that can be attached toremove lint and hair.

In operation, a user adds water to a tank and waits till the watercoverts to vapor. The user hangs the garment for easy access. This vaporis applied to the garment via a rubber hose using soft sweeping motions.

There are different types of steamers. There is a standing clothessteamer, a travel clothes steamer, and a handheld clothes steamer. Thestanding clothes steamer is often used by professional steamers and aremore expensive that the others. The travel clothes steamer may include anozzle that is directly attached to the water tank, while other directlyeffect steam from its base. Handheld steamers take up less space. Thehandheld steamer features a large water well and incorporate mechanismsthat are more powerful in steaming garments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary steamer in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the exemplary steamer such as is shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary garment hanger used with the exemplary steamersuch as is shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the exemplary steamer such as is shown in FIG.1 and including a garment that is being steamed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is an exemplary steamer for use in a home orotherwise. Notably, the exemplary steamer may be used on any wall or ona door casing. The exemplary steamer comprises a frame that couples tothe wall or hangs over a door frame casing. The frame comprises a tophorizontal beam, a bottom horizontal beam, and a vertical beam thatattaches at one end to the top horizontal beam and that attaches at anopposing end to the bottom horizontal beam.

To couple the steamer frame to the wall, the top horizontal beam maycomprise a fastener or it may comprise a suction cup that attaches tothe wall. Likewise, the bottom horizontal beam may comprise a fasteneror it may comprise a suction sup that attaches to the wall.

The vertical beam is moveably coupled to a steaming device. In thisregard, the vertical beam comprises a channel in a face of the verticalbeam. The channel extends vertically from a top of the vertical beam toa bottom of the vertical beam. The steaming device couples to thechannel.

Further, the steaming device comprises a motor and a steam head. Whenthe steamer is receiving electric current, the motor activates, and thesteaming device moves vertically within the channel to the top of thevertical member and to the bottom of the vertical member. As thesteaming device traverses the channel, steam is released through thesteam head.

The frame further has an extension pole. The extension pole is coupledto the top of the vertical member. The extension pole comprises a firstvertical member that extends upward from the vertical beam, a horizontalmember that extends away from the vertical beam, and a second horizontalmember that extends downward. The end of second horizontal member is aloop for receiving a clothes hangar in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The clothes hangar, which may be constructed of metal wire, comprises ahook. Further, the clothes hangar comprises a base section and twoangular sections, which connect the base section to the hook. Extendingdownward on each side of the hangar are vertical sections. Note that theangular sections and the vertical sections are retractable. That is, theangular sections and the vertical sections may be extended or retractedbased upon the clothing that is to be steamed.

As described, the hook of the clothes hangar is hung on the loop.Clothes are put over the clothes hangar. The steaming device isactivated via plugging in the steamer or switching of a button. Thesteaming device moves vertically up and down steaming the clothes thatare hung on the clothes hangar.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary steamer 100 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. The steamer 100 comprises a pole101 and a frame 104. The pole 101 is coupled to the frame 104.

The pole 101 comprises a horizontal beam 110 that couples to a top ofthe vertical beam 106. Further the pole 101 comprises a vertical beam111 that couples the horizontal beam 110 to a horizontal beam 113. Atthe end of the horizontal beam is a loop 113. The loop 113 is configuredfor receiving a clothes hangar, which is described further herein. Inone embodiment, the pole 101 is extendable and retractable along thehorizontal beam 101 as indicated by reference arrow 120.

The frame 104 comprises a top horizontal beam 104 and a bottomhorizontal beam 107. The top horizontal beam 104 and the bottomhorizontal beam 107 are coupled together by a vertical beam 106.

Each of the top horizontal beam 104 and the bottom horizontal beam 107comprise fasteners 108 and 109, respectively. The fasteners 108, 109 mayinclude any type of fastener known in the art including screws or nails.In addition, the fasteners 108, 109 may be suction cups that retain thesteamer 100 on a wall 116.

The vertical beam 106 is coupled to a steaming device 117. In thisregard, the front face 118 of the vertical beam 106 comprises a channel(not shown). The steaming device 117 comprises a control box 102 and asteam delivery cone 115. Within the control box 102 is a motor (notshown) that drives the steaming device 117 up and down in the channel asindicated by reference arrow 119. As the steaming device 117 moves upand down in the channel, it produces steam 103 that is sprayed outwardlyto contact clothes that are hanging on the clothes hangar.

In one embodiment, the steamer 100 receives power from a wall outlet121. However, power may be provided to the steamer 100 in other ways inother embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the vertical pole 106 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. The vertical pole 106 comprises afront face 118. In the front face 118 is a channel 201. The control box102 (FIG. 1) couples to the channel 201.

In operation, the steam delivery cone 115 coupled to the control box 102travels up and down in the channel 201, as indicated by referencenumeral 200. As the steam delivery cone 115 moves up and down in thechannel 201, clothes hanging on the clothes hangar 114 (FIG. 1) aresteamed and dewrinkled.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary clothes hangar 114 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. The clothes hangar 114, which maybe constructed of metal wire, comprises a hook 300. Further, the clotheshangar 114 comprises a base section 306 and two angular sections 303 and302, which connect the base section 306 to the hook 300. Extendingdownward on each side of the hangar are vertical sections 310 and 309.

Note that the angular sections 303 and 302 are retractable at retractiondevices 305 and 304. Further, the vertical sections 310 and 309 areretractable at retraction devices 312 and 311. That is, the angularsections 303 and 302 and the vertical sections 312 and 311 may beextended or retracted based upon the clothing that is to be steamed.

Further note that the clothes hangar 114 further comprises clips 307 and308. The clips 307 and 308 are configured to grasp a garment, e.g.,pants, that do not necessarily go over angular sections 303 and 302.

As described, the hook 300 of the clothes hangar 114 is hung on the loop113. Clothes are put over the clothes hangar 114. The steaming device117 is activated via plugging in the steamer or switching of a button.The steaming device 117 moves vertically up and down steaming theclothes that are hung on the clothes hangar 114.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the steamer 100 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, a pair of pants 400 isplaced atop the clothes hangar 114. The steaming device is activated.The steaming device 117 moves upward and downward thereby steaming thepants 400, as indicated by reference arrow 119.

What I claim is:
 1. A steamer, comprising: a frame comprising a verticalbeam having a channel in a front face of the beam; a steaming devicecoupled to the channel and configured to go up and down emitting steamdirected at a garment.
 2. The steamer of claim 1, wherein the framecomprises a first horizontal beam and a second horizontal beam and thevertical beam couples to the first horizontal beam and the secondhorizontal beam.
 3. The steamer of claim 2, wherein the first horizontalbeam and the second horizontal beam comprise fasteners to couple thefirst horizontal beam and the second horizontal beam to a wall.
 4. Thesteamer of claim 2, wherein the first horizontal beam is configured tocoupled to a door frame.
 5. The steamer of claim 4, wherein the steamingdevice comprises a control box.
 6. The steamer of claim 5, wherein thecontrol box comprises a motor for moving the steaming device up and downin the channel.
 7. The steamer of claim 5, wherein the steaming devicecomprises a steam delivery cone.
 8. The steamer of claim 5, wherein thesteam delivery cone delivers steam to a garment.
 9. The steamer of claim1, further comprising a hook for receiving a clothes hangar.
 10. Thesteamer of claim 9, wherein the clothes hangar comprises a base sectionand a hook.
 11. The steamer of claim 10, wherein angular sections couplethe base section to the hook.
 12. The steamer of claim 11, wherein theangular sections are retractable.
 13. The steamer of claim 11, whereinthe clothes hangar comprises an extending right vertical section and anextending left vertical section.
 14. The steamer of claim wherein theextending right vertical section and the extending left vertical sectionare retractable.